Tag: Oklahoma Sooners recruiting

‘It just felt right’: Offensive tackle Heath Ozaeta signs with the Oklahoma Sooners

Making his commitment official during the early signing period, offensive tackle Heath Ozaeta signs with the Oklahoma Sooners.

The early signing period is underway, and the Oklahoma Sooners are beginning to put pen to paper with their [autotag]2023 recruiting class[/autotag].

Making his commitment official, Heath Ozaeta signed his national letter of intent with the Oklahoma Sooners on the first day of the early signing period.

On with Locked On Sooners back in July, Heath Ozaeta described his whirlwind commitment to the Oklahoma Sooners. After being in communication with offensive line coach Bill Bedenbaugh, Ozaeta and his family went down for a visit.

“We went down there and visited, (Bedenbaugh) toured us around,” Ozaeta relayed. “I got to meet some of the guys. When we were there it just felt right. It felt like the place I wanted to be. So, he offered me that night and I committed that night. I committed on the spot. I’ve been a fan (of Oklahoma) my whole life. I was born there, I’ve got family there. Grandparents went there. I loved it and just didn’t want to waste an opportunity.”

Though Ozaeta wouldn’t commit publicly during his visit, the four-star offensive tackle in the On3 consensus rankings was sold on the Sooners.

An athletic and physical offensive tackle, Ozaeta is the No. 2 player in the state of Washington and the No. 26 offensive tackle in the 2023 cycle according to On3.

As things stand now, the Oklahoma Sooners are very young at offensive tackle. Tyler Guyton looks to be one of the answers for the departing Anton Harrison and Wanya Morris, but the other tackle spot will require an offseason competition between Jacob Sexton, Jake Taylor, and Aaryn Parks. As an early enrolee, could Heath Ozaeta make himself part of the two-deep depth chart at tackle in year one?

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4-Star cornerback Jasiah Wagoner signs with the Oklahoma Sooners

Oklahoma adds to their secondary as four-star cornerback Jasiah Wagoner makes his commitment official in the early signing period.

The early signing period is underway, and the Oklahoma Sooners are beginning to put pen to paper with their [autotag]2023 recruiting class[/autotag].

Working to remake their secondary in the 2023 cycle, Jasiah Wagoner, a four-star cornerback from the Pacific Northwest, is one of five blue chip prospects the Sooners are bringing in in 2023.

Signing his national letter of intent, Wagoner joins a Sooners class that will finish well within the top 10 of the team recruiting rankings for 2023. Wagoner is the No. 31 cornerback in the country and a top 300 player in the 247Sports composite rankings. He’s 247Sports’ No. 3 player in the state of Washington.

The Sooners earned his signature over other top programs over Notre Dame, California, Colorado, Miami, Oregon, Penn State, and Tennessee.

Wagoner is an impressive athlete with fantastic ball skills. He shows good discipline in zone coverage and the ability to turn and run with receivers in man-to-man coverage. He’s dangerous with the ball in his hands.

In addition to playing cornerback, Wagoner will be a threat as a return man for the Oklahoma Sooners. He joins Jacobe Johnson, Kendel Dolby, Makari Vickers, Daeh McCullough, and Erik McCarty in the defensive backfield.

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Sooners sign top 100 offensive line prospect Cayden Green

Oklahoma signs their best offensive line recruit of the 2023 class in four-star offensive tackle Cayden Green

The early signing period is underway, and the Oklahoma Sooners are beginning to put pen to paper with their [autotag]2023 recruiting class[/autotag].

Oklahoma’s signing day has gotten off to an excellent start with many of their prospects already submitting their national letters of intent. Oklahoma’s best offensive line commit is now on board with four-star offensive tackle Cayden Green officially a Sooner.

Green, is a massive commit, both figuratively and literally. His signing represents the first top 100 offensive lineman the Sooners have signed since Savion Byrd in 2021. At Green’s size, he projects as a great offensive tackle and would have the ability to slide inside and play guard.

Oklahoma earned Green’s commitment in their historic recruiting month of July as they beat out the home state school of Missouri, LSU, and Nebraska as well.

As 247Sports’ 68th best prospect and ranking No. 80 in the 247Sports composite, Cayden Green is a monumental get for the Oklahoma Sooners. Considering they lost three starting offensive linemen to the NFL draft, Cayden Green adds some much-needed talent and depth as they attempt to reload up front.

For next year, it’s unlikely Green figures to be a significant part of Bill Bedenbaugh’s offensive line rotation. Still, with two open spots at tackle and a spot at right guard open due to the graduation of Chris Murray, there are opportunities if Green can blow the team away. It’s more likely he’s a fringe name on the two-deep to start the season next year.

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Versatile athlete Erik McCarty signs with the Oklahoma Sooners

During the early signing period, Erik McCarty signs with the Oklahoma Sooners.

The early signing period is underway, and the Oklahoma Sooners are beginning to put pen to paper with their [autotag]2023 recruiting class[/autotag].

Perhaps not the most heralded prospect in the class, Erik McCarty is certainly one of the most intriguing. His ability as both a runner and defender for McAlester helped the Buffaloes to a 12-3 record in 2022.

He’s been committed to the Sooners since Jan. 29, 2022. Now that commitment becomes official as McCarty signed with the Oklahoma Sooners during the early signing period.

For his part, McCarty averaged 77.4 rushing yards per game, according to Max Preps. He also combined for 25 total touchdowns. As a defender, he averaged 7.2 tackles per game at strong safety.

Projecting as a Cheetah for the Oklahoma Sooners, Erik McCarty has a chance to be an impact player for the Sooners on defense and on special teams. He’s simply a good football player.

McCarty’s season was cut short after suffering an ACL injury in the Oklahoma state playoffs. It’s unlikely he’ll be ready for spring ball, and looks like a redshirt season will be on the horizon for one of the best players in Oklahoma.

A three-star prospect, McCarty is the No. 9 player in the state of Oklahoma in the 247Sports composite and ranks as the No. 52 athlete in the country.

The Oklahoma Sooners earned McCarty’s commitment and signature over Baylor, Kansas State, Nebraska, Pitt, and TCU.

 

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Running back Kalib Hicks signs with the Oklahoma Sooners

Making his commitment official running back Kalib Hicks signs with the Oklahoma Sooners.

The early signing period is underway, and the Oklahoma Sooners are beginning to put pen to paper with their [autotag]2023 recruiting class[/autotag].

The Sooners kept the ball rolling to finish the cycle strong as [autotag]Kalib Hicks[/autotag] signed his national letter of intent with the Oklahoma Sooners. Hicks committed to the Sooners back on June 15 as a part of Oklahoma’s massive summer on the recruiting trail.

Hicks, a three-star prospect, hails from Denton, Texas where he played for Ryan High School. Over the course of three seasons on varsity, Hicks amassed 3,228 rushing yards and 33 touchdowns. He averaged 7 yards per carry on 455 rushing attempts in high school.

Out of the backfield, he added 28 receptions for 292 yards and three touchdowns, averaging 10.4 yards per reception.

He was a dynamic player in high school, and DeMarco Murray is banking on that big-play ability finding its way to Norman. Hicks runs with ease and displays good vision. He’s a patient runner, allowing for the blocking in front of him to get going before hitting the hole.

With Eric Gray heading to the NFL Jovantae Barnes and Marcus Major are the only guys on the running back depth chart with significant experience. Gavin Sawchuck is expected to make a splash in 2023, but it’s not outside the realm of possibility to see Kalib Hicks make an impact.

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4-Star Linebacker Lewis Carter signs with the Oklahoma Sooners

Lewis Carter makes his commitment official, signing with the Oklahoma Sooners in the early signing period.

The early signing period is underway, and the Oklahoma Sooners are beginning to put pen to paper with their [autotag]2023 recruiting class[/autotag].

After adding Jaren Kanak, Kobie McKinzie, and Kip Lewis in the 2022 recruiting class, the Oklahoma Sooners are adding three more linebackers in the 2023 class. In addition to Samuel Omosigho and Phil Picciotti, the Sooners received a commitment from Top247 four-star linebacker [autotag]Lewis Carter[/autotag]. Carter made that commitment official in the early signing period with a national letter of intent for the Oklahoma Sooners.

The Tampa, Fla. native committed to the Oklahoma Sooners back on July 16 with 31 Power Five offers, including Auburn, Clemson, North Carolina, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, LSU, Michigan State, Nebraska, Ohio State, Oregon, Penn State, Tennessee, Texas A&M, and USC.

Carter is the No. 157 prospect in the 247Sports database and is the No. 12 linebacker in the country. He ranks as the No. 38 player in the state of Florida.

An Under Armour All-American, Carter led Tampa Catholic with 9.8 tackles per game and added four sacks and two interceptions in 2022.

A two-way player, Carter plays with speed from the MIKE linebacker position and is a physical player at the point of attack. Carter moves well in pursuit and does a good job diagnosing the play and reacting. He was dynamic as a running back for Tampa Catholic as well, running for 75.5 yards per game and totaling 15 touchdowns on offense.

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4-star wide receiver Keyon Brown signs with the Oklahoma Sooners

Keyon Brown has officially signed with the Oklahoma Sooners

The early signing period is underway, and the Oklahoma Sooners are beginning to put pen to paper with their [autotag]2023 recruiting class[/autotag].

Before the Oklahoma Sooners exploded into the top ten of the recruiting rankings, they were sitting much lower, with only a few commits to their name for the 2023 recruiting cycle. [autotag]Keyon Brown[/autotag], a wide receiver from Tallahassee, Fla., was one of those commits.

After being committed since Jun. 5, the four-star wide receiver put pen to paper, officially becoming an Oklahoma Sooner. Brown also had offers from Auburn, Alabama and Florida State.

Brown is yet another OU signee that ran track in high school. He ran the 4×100. He brings a good amount of size, clocking in at 6-foot-2 and 188 pounds.

During his final season at James Rickards High School, Brown caught six touchdown passes and also had a kickoff return touchdown. The 247Sports composite has Brown as the No. 48 wide receiver and the No. 65 player from the state of Florida.

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4-Star defensive back Makari Vickers signs with Oklahoma Sooners

Four-star defensive back Makari Vickers has signed with the Oklahoma Sooners

The early signing period is underway, and the Oklahoma Sooners are beginning to put pen to paper with their [autotag]2023 recruiting class[/autotag].

Another athlete from SEC territory with track and field experience has signed with the Oklahoma Sooners. This time, it was Makari “Seatbelt” Vickers’ turn to put his name on the dotted line.

The four-star safety from Robert F. Munroe Day School in Tallahassee, Fla. is a top 100 recruit and the No. 6 safety in the 2023 class, according to the 247Sports composite.

Vickers has been committed to the Sooners since Aug. 24, and has had some very attractive offers from other schools closer to home. Florida State was one of those schools. Vickers also had offers from Michigan and Alabama, which were the only other schools he visited during his recruitment.

At 6-foot-1, 180 pounds, Vickers already has impressive size with plenty of room to grow after an offseason with the OU strength and conditioning staff. While he has seen time at both cornerback and safety, he will most likely play at safety as a Sooner, with some time on special teams early on.

The Sooners needed an infusion of talent into their secondary. With Vickers, they’re getting just that.

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Oklahoma inks 4-star speedster Jaquaize Pettaway

Oklahoma inks four-star wide receiver Jaquaize Pettaway, who chose Oklahoma over Texas over the summer.

The early signing period is underway, and the Oklahoma Sooners are beginning to put pen to paper with their [autotag]2023 recruiting class[/autotag].

One of their fastest prospects is set to join the program. Four-star wide receiver [autotag]Jaquaize Pettaway[/autotag] is officially a Sooner as he signed his national letter of intent.

Pettaway is a consensus four-star across the board and is widely known for his speed and breakaway ability. He’s dynamic with the ball in his hands and could blossom into a major playmaker for the Sooners over the next few years.

Since committing to Oklahoma this summer, Pettaway has been rock solid in his commitment. His high school season ended a little sooner than his peers, but Pettaway is a bonafide star.

Pettaway committed over the summer as part of Oklahoma’s legendary summer recruiting run that had the entire college football world talking. He chose Oklahoma over Texas and has remained steadfast in that commitment. He ranks 53rd nationally in the 247Sports rankings and is No. 66 overall in the 247 composite rankings. Pettaway comes to Norman as the No. 11 wide receiver in the country.

Pettaway stands 5-foot-11 and has obvious room to grow a little more and add weight to the sub-200-pound frame he carries. His speed, 10.5 in the 100 meters, and his stop-and-start ability make him an early candidate for playing time next year. He wins most often by getting vertical, which is a significant component of Oklahoma’s passing identity. He also can be an asset in the return game or in the screen game.

With vacancies in the wide receiver room due to graduation, transfers, and the possibility of Marvin Mims entering the draft, Pettaway has multiple avenues to playing time in 2023.

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Offensive lineman Logan Howland signs with the Oklahoma Sooners

Three-star offensive tackle Logan Howland signed with the Oklahoma Sooners during the early signing period.

The early signing period is underway, and the Oklahoma Sooners are beginning to put pen to paper with their [autotag]2023 recruiting class[/autotag].

Yet another player from the east coast has signed with the Oklahoma Sooners. Logan Howland, 247Sports’ No. 6 player from New Jersey, is officially joining the crimson and cream.

The 6-foot-7 offensive tackle has been verbally committed to Bill Bedenbaugh and the Sooners since Jul. 9. The young lineman from The Hun School in Princeton, New Jersey, also had offers from Iowa, Miami, and Michigan. Howland visited the Hawkeyes in Iowa City just two weeks before committing to OU back in July.

Beating out the known offensive line factory in Iowa for the three-star tackle is quite the accomplishment for [autotag]Bill Bedenbaugh[/autotag].

The 247Sports composite has Howland ranked as the No. 36 offensive tackle and the No. 492 recruit in the nation. He is the only Sooner signee in the 2023 class from the state of New Jersey.

Howland’s Hun Raiders enjoyed an undefeated 9-0 regular season and finished as the No. 13 team in New Jersey at the end of the season.

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